What is gonorrhoea?

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmissible infection (STI) caused by bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

How do I get gonorrhoea?

You can get gonorrhoea by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with a person who has gonorrhoea.

You can get gonorrhoea from someone else even if they don’t have any symptoms.

A pregnant woman can pass it to her baby during childbirth. The baby can get a serious eye infection and may become blind.

You cannot get gonorrhoea from public toilets, public pools or general contact with other people.

What does gonorrhoea do to the body?

Gonorrhoea can infect the throat, anus, urethra (urine passage), cervix (neck of the womb) and eyes.

If not treated, gonorrhoea can cause infections of the skin and joints. Gonorrhoea can also cause meningitis. Meningitis is an infection of the covering of the brain.

In women, gonorrhoea can cause a serious infection and stop her from having a baby.

A pregnant woman can pass it to her baby during childbirth. The baby can get a serious eye infection and may become blind.

How do I know if I have gonorrhoea?

Many people often don’t know they have gonorrhoea because they don’t have any signs or symptoms.

The only way to know if you have gonorrhoea is to have a test. The test is a quick and easy urine (pee) test.

Another way is by having a swab taken from the infected area and having the swab tested for gonorrhoea.

Signs and symptoms of gonorrhoea

For men:

stinging or burning when passing urine

a discharge from the penis. This discharge is often white or yellow

swollen and painful testicles

redness around the opening of the penis

anal discharge or discomfort

eye infections

For women:

unusual vaginal discharge

vaginal bleeding

pain when urinating

pelvic pain, especially during sex

anal discharge or discomfort

eye infections

What do I do if I have gonorrhoea?

Your doctor will give you medicine.

Tell your sex partner or partners to get a test. If they have gonorrhoea, they can give gonorrhoea to you again or give gonorrhoea to others.

Your doctor can help you decide who to tell that you have got gonorrhoea. Your doctor can help you tell them.

Do not have sex with anyone, even using a condom, until your treatment for gonorrhoea is finished.

Can gonorrhoea be treated or cured?

Gonorrhoea can be treated and cured with a single injection of antibiotics.

Always tell your doctor if you have been overseas. This is because some types of gonorrhoea are not common in Australia and need special medicine.

You can get gonorrhoea again even after it was cured in the past.

How can I protect myself from getting gonorrhoea?

Get yourself and your sex partners tested for gonorrhoea. Get tested regularly if you have more than one sex partner or your partner has sex with other people. The more sex partners you have, the higher the risk of catching gonorrhoea.

Get you and your partners treated for gonorrhoea so you don’t keep giving gonorrhoea to each other or other people.

Use condoms during vaginal, anal and oral sex. Use condoms even with your long-time partner if you have sex with other people.

Talk to new partners about using condoms before you have sex with them.

How can I make sure I don’t give gonorrhoea to someone else?

Do not have sex with anyone, even with a condom, until you have finished your treatment and you have no symptoms

Use condoms every time you have sex especially with a new partner.

Get tested for gonorrhea regularly if you have more than one sexual partner or your partner has sex with other people.